MLAs clash on 10th anniversary of brutal killing

By Iveren McCallion

Ten years after the brutal murder of Paul Quinn, a Newry and Armagh MLA is calling out Sinn Fein on comments made following his death.

The 21 year-old was lured to a shed in County Monaghan where a group of men beat him with iron bars and nailed clubs, breaking every bone in his body.

He died hours later in hospital.

Paul's parents Stephen and Breege from Cullyhanna, maintain that the IRA killed their son, but at the time the now Newry and Armagh MLA Conor Murphy said he was confident they were not involved and branded Paul a 'criminal'.

The SDLP's Justin McNulty says Mr Murphy must remove the slur on Paul's name calling the killing a "cold blooded, cowardly and evil act."

He added, "What was even worse was the collective cover up, which does not happen by chance, demanding an expertise to avoid detection combined with an imposition of fear in the community to prevent ordinary decent people coming forward with information.

"The pernicious and all-pervading influence of that fear is still neutralizing our democracy," he said.

Q Radio News tried to get in contact with Mr Murphy and Sinn Fein but have not yet had a response.